Grain-separator.



H. HOFMANN.

GRAIN SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1, 1913.

1,093,853, Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEBT 1.

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H. HOPMANN.

GRAIN SEPARATOB.

APPLIOATION PILED' APR. 1, 1913.

1,093,853, Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

4 BHEETS-SHEET 2.

8 wuento'b wi tmaooao H. HOPMANN.

GRAIN SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1, 1913.

1,093,853; Patented Apr. 21, 191

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Suva W01 H M F/M/I mv WWI moon tion consists of certain novel details ofcon-- UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN HOFMANN', OF FONTANEL-LE, IOWA.

GRAIN-SEPARATOR.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN HOFMANN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Fontanelle, in the county of Adair and State of Iowa, haveinvented certain new. and useful Improvements in Grain-Separators, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

This invent-ion relates to grain separators and has for an object toprovide novel means for separating clover seed from timothy seed andcollecting these grains in separate bulks.

A further object is to provide a novel straw rack and novel means foractuating the same.

A still further object is to provide an extremely simple and effectiveshaking frame which carries the grain separating and collecting devices.

With the above objects in view the invenstruction and combination ofparts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood thatvarious modifications may be made in the minor details of constructionwithin the scope of the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating this invention :-Figure 1 is aside ele vation showing one side of the separator. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation showing the opposite side of the separator. Fig. 3 isa'longitudinal sectional view through the separator. Fig. 4: is anenlarged longitudinalsectional view showing the hinged chaffer, togetherwith the grain separating riddles. Fig. 5 is a cross sectional viewtaken on the line 5--5 Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a view showing the ratchetmechanism of the main driving pulley.

Referring now to the drawings in which like characters of referencedesignate similar' parts, 10 designates the separator casing which is ofthe usual and well known type. Secured to the inner side walls of thecasing are parallel downwardly and forwardly inclined bars 11 whichconstitute supports for the straw rack.

There are four downwardly and forwardly inclined straw shakers 12, 13,14' and 15 arranged in stepped relation to form the straw rack. theseshakers occupying substantially the entire width of the casing. Eachshaker comprises parallel side bars 16 and parallel cross bars 17connecting the side bars. Each shaker is supported at the Specificationof Letters Patent.

Application filed April 1, 1913.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914.. Serial No. 758,213.

upper end upon a rock shaft 18 that is journaled in suitable bearings 19disposed on the supporting bars 11, the shaft carrying integral crankarms 20 which are pivotally connected to the side bars of the shaker.Each shaker is further supported at the lower end upon an invertedU-shaped rock frame 21 that is journaled at the ends in suitable openmgs22 formed in the supporting bars, the bridge bar 23 of the frame beingpivotally engaged in suitable openings 24;

formed in the lower ends of the side bars.

In carrying out my invention, I employ an extremely simple means forrocking the alternate straw shakers 12and 14: in the same direction andoppositely to the alternate straw shakers 13 and 15. To attain this endthere are downwardly extending crank arms 25 disposed on the right handends of the rock shafts of the straw shakers 12 and 1 1, which crankarms have wrist pin connections with a reciprocating connecting rod 26,as shown in Fig. 1. Also there are downwardly extending crank arms 27disposed on the left hand ends of the rock shafts of the straw shakers13 and 15, which crank arms have wrist pin connection with areciprocating rod 28, as shown in Fig. 2. The reciprocating rods 26 and28 are actuated in opposite directions, as will now be described.

A main driving shaft 29 is journaled in suitable bearings 30 disposed onopposite sides of the separator casing, and cams 31 and 32 are disposedon this shaft, such cams being set at 180 degrees apart. These cams areoperatively connected to eccentric rods 33 and-34 which are pivotallyconnectedrespectively to the reciprocating rods 26 and 28. Consequently,upon actuation of the driving shaft the eccentric rods 33 and 3 1 willbe actuated in' opposite directions with a corresponding actuation ofthe related reciprocating rods 26jand 28 in opposite directions,'whichproduces the above described rocking of the alternate straw shakers 12and 14: in the same direction and opposite to the alternate strawshakers 13 and 15.

As usual in grain separators the straw is fed down between the threshingcylinder 35 and concaves 36 from whence it passes up over the rack 37and is there operated upon by the beater 38. which latter beats thegrain down through the thin layer of straw, the straw then passing on tothe above described straw rack where the grain which has escaped beingbeaten out by the beater is shaken from the straw. The above referred toparts are of well known construction and will not be further described.

The grain collecting, cleaning, and assorting apparatus are carried on asingle vibratory frame which is designated in general by the numeral 39.This frame extends throughout the full length of the easing from frontto rear and is supported at the front and rear ends respectively by rocklinks 40 and 41 that are pivotally connected to the sides of the frameand are pivotally attached at the lowerends to the separator casing asshown best in Fig. 3. A return pan 42 is secured to the frame bybrackets 43, this pan serving to return the grain shaken from the strawby the shakers to the front end of the grain conveyor, as usual. Theframe is vibrated by means of an eccentric rod 44 that is operated by acam 45 on the main driving shaft 29 and is further hinged as shown at 46to a cross bar 47 which connects the bottom edges of the sides of theframe 39.

A grain conveyor in the nature of a perforated sheet metal plate 48 issecured marginally to the frame 39 and extends from the front endthereof nearly to the rear end.

A grain pan 49 in the nature of an imperforate sheet metal plate issecured marginally to the frame below and parallel with the conveyer andis substantially equal in length to the latter, the grain accumulatingon this pan after dropping through the conveyer perforations. Owing tothe frame 39 being vibrated as above described the unc'le'aned graintogether with the chaff is thus worked rearwardly upon the conveyerwhile the cleaned grain is also worked rearwardly upon the grain pan.

A chaifer 50 in the nature of a screen or perforated plate is hinged asshown at 51 to the frame 39 whereby it may be rocked upwardly whendesired. There is a fan casing 52 and fan 53 of ordinary construc tioncarried by the frame 39 below and forwardly of the chafler, the draftfrom this fan bein directed upwardly throu h the chafier and thusblowing the chaff out throughthe rear end of the separator casing.

, A shoe sieve 54 is carried by the frame 39 below and parallel with thechafl'er, this sieve forming a continuation of the grain pan 49 andreceiving the grain from the lat ter'. The sieve terminates short of therear end of the frame and discharges the tailings from its free end intoa tailing chute 55 carried by the frame 39. 1

V A riddle 56 is disposed below the shoe sieve and receives the grainfrom the latter, this riddlebeing formed with perforations of such sizethat both the clover seed and the timothy seed can drop through orgravitate. The draft from the fan is also directed'throagh this riddlewhereby the seed is further cleaned, the riddle communicating at the endwith the tailing chamber and discharging the tailings into the tailingchute 55.

For separating the clover seed from the timothy seed, I provide a riddle57 that is disposed directly below the riddle 56 and terminates short ofthe end of the latter,

the riddle 57 being provided with openings of such size that the timothyseed can gravitate therethrough while the clover seed travels along theriddle and is discharged from the end thereof into a delivery spout 58from which the clover seed may be collected in bulk.

The timothy seed which gravitates from the riddle 57 falls upon adownwardly and forwardly inclined delivery board 59 which carries thetimothy seed forwardly and discharges the same into a delivery spout 60from which the timothy seed may be collected in bulk.

From the above description it will be seen that the grain conveyor, thegrain pan, the chafler, the shoe sieve, and the separating riddles areall carried on a single vibratory frame, the motion of which enables theabove mentioned parts to effectively function as described.

The driving shaft 29 is equipped with a belt pulley 61 over which and apulley 69 on the threshing cylinder shaft a driving belt 63 is trained.The power pulley G4 is secured to the threshing cylinder shaft andthrough the instrumentality of the belt 63 drives the driving shaft 29.The pulley 61 is equipped with a ratchet mechanism designated in generalby the numeral 65 which permits of the driving shaft being rotated onlyin a forward direction. The driving shaft is further equipped with apulley 66 over which and a pulley 67 secured to the shaft of the beater38 a driving belt 68 is trained.

For imparting a uniform movement to the moving parts, there is a drivingbelt 69 trained over the pulley 66 and over a pulley 70 that is securedto a shaft 71 which is equipped with a balanced wheel 72 which latterfunctions to steady the movement of the moving parts. For driving thefan 53 a driving belt 7 3 is trained over a pulley 74 on the shaft 71and over a pulley 7 5 on the fan shaft 76.

It is to be understood that the above described mechanism may be alteredas subsequent manufacture will prove to be advantageous withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of theinvention.

What is claimed is In a grain separator, the combination with a mainframe, a plurality of transverse shafts mounted for oscillation thereon,and crank arms carried on said shafts; of a plurality of shakersconsisting of side bars and a plurality of transverse bars, the sidebars of said shakers being pivotally connected adjacent one of theirends to the outer ends of said crank arms, the opposite ends of the sidebars of said shakers being slotted to provide bearings therein, U-shapedrock frames having the arms thereon pivotally mounted on said main framein planes adj acent the transverse shafts and the base portions thereofloosely received in the bearings at the outer ends of the side bars ofsaid shakers, said rock frames being of a length greater than the lengthof the crank arms, said crank arms and rock frames being arranged on themain frame in such position as to normally dispose said shakers instepped relation thereon, and means to oscillate said transverse shaftswhereby to actuate said shakers.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afix my signature in the presence of twoWitnesses.

HERMAN HOFMANN. Witnesses:

LOYD SWANGEN, WILLIE BITTNER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

